Members of the public are being urged to have their say on proposed changes to wards at St Albans City Hospital.

Herts Community Trust (HCT) needs to make £2.8million savings in west Hertfordshire, and is looking at future community bed provision in light of financial challenges with an aim to care for more people at home or close to home.

The trust has published a series of plans which include closing Sopwell and Langton wards at St Albans City Hospital, which contain 39 community in-patient beds. An equivalent 10 beds will be provided in Langley House in Watford, which will become a 32-bed unit.

West Hertfordshire NHS Hospitals Trust, which owns St Albans City Hospital, will continue to run all its current services there and has plans to deliver more planned elective care from the site. The need to make reductions is due to efficiency savings on the part of HCT and Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group, which is the trust’s main source of funding.

HCT is also in discussions with West Herts Hospitals Trust to change the use of one of the wards at Hemel Hempstead Hospital, so that it caters for people who are well enough to leave hospital but are still awaiting some kind of community care provision. If these changes were made it would ensure there is a provision of hospital beds in St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead, although the St Albans beds would be for planned care.

HCT is holding public engagement events to explain the changes and hear people’s views. Public sessions in St Albans will be held on Tuesday, March 14 at the Jubilee Centre in Catherine Street, from 2pm to 3.30pm and 6pm to 7.30pm.

An online survey, which closes on Tuesday, March 28, is also available at www.hct.nhs.uk/yoursay